By -

The Professional Conduct Advisory Panel provides support to any solicitor who is facing some sort of regulatory process, and is just one of a number of services provded by the Law Society of New South Wales to uphold practitioners in their work. 

We recently held the annual gathering of the Professional Conduct Advisory Panel (PCAP). This is the panel of caring solicitors who provide support to any solicitor who is facing some sort of regulatory process. It might be a complaint, a trust investigation or a show cause event. A situation which we could all understand might need support.

The discussion at the gathering turned to what exactly is that support. Being solicitors, we are always so focused on giving advice that anything else is a little outside our usual world. But this is definitely not advice. So what is it? One attendee came up with the lovely phrase “pastoral mentorship”.

Pondering this one more, it seemed to fit so well, and not just to PCAP. It encompasses the sense of care, the support, the wisdom and expertise, all bundled into one collegiate whole. Which led to me thinking of how many other support services the NSW Law Society provides which are forms of pastoral mentorship.

  1. The Ethics Line – a confidential space to discuss your ethical conundrums, within the context of the Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules.
  2. The other services from the Professional Support Unit (PSU) – costs, regulatory compliance, AML/CTF – experts in these areas giving guidance and a framework for solicitors to determine their obligations.
  3. The outreach service – here we have psychologists adding their expertise to give solicitors crisis as well as structured psychological assistance.
  4. PauSE – an early intervention service for practitioners who may be struggling, in the hope of avoiding external intervention at a later stage. Contact the regulatory compliance team of PSU on (02) 9926 0115 for more information.
  5. Trusts – the Trust Accounts Department can provide pre-emptive support and guidance. Email trust@lawsociety.com.au.
  6. Disclosures – a simple phone call to our Disclosures solicitors could well avoid sleepless nights wondering if you have to make a disclosure.

What a wonderful range of pastoral mentorship for so many situations where we need a bit of support. Don’t ever hesitate to seek it out. It is there for us all.

Linden is a Senior Ethics Solicitor at the Law Society of NSW